Using microsimulation software, with a focus on VISSIM, the analysis of different applications of merge concepts through delay and safety is presented in this thesis. In order to appropriately draw conclusions and usage trends of different merge concepts from the microsimulation software, early merge, late merge, and signal merge were first explored in a thorough literature review. While focusing primarily on delay, queues, and safety, this thesis essentially provides an introduction to determining the ideal merge concept on freeway work zones for varying roadway configurations, roadway conditions, and user demands, among other factors. In addition to delay and queuing analysis completed using VISSIM, the Federal Highway Administration’s Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) was used to address the effects of implementing signal merge on rear-end and lane-change conflicts. Compiling the VISSIM microsimulation outputs and SSAM signal merge safety outputs, general conclusions and decisions were provided. While this thesis provides determinations of ideal merge concepts for a variety of cases, it is important for the next researcher to assess some of the assumptions that were made, to ensure that they would not significantly affect the results and analysis. / text

A study was done to explore the suitability of intersection and arterial collision prediction models based on traffic conflicts, generated using the Paramics microsimulation suite and the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). A linear regression model and a generalized linear model with a negative binomial error structure were explored to correlate conflicts to crash rates, as well as the conflict-based models suggested by SSAM. The model predictions were compared to volume-based predictions and historical data from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The volume- based predictions were calculated using a negative binomial generalized linear model, fitted to the same arterial and intersection sets used to fit the conflict-based models. The results show the predictions generated by a conflict-based model were comparable for intersections, but poor for arterials.

A study was done to explore the suitability of intersection and arterial collision prediction models based on traffic conflicts, generated using the Paramics microsimulation suite and the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM). A linear regression model and a generalized linear model with a negative binomial error structure were explored to correlate conflicts to crash rates, as well as the conflict-based models suggested by SSAM. The model predictions were compared to volume-based predictions and historical data from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The volume- based predictions were calculated using a negative binomial generalized linear model, fitted to the same arterial and intersection sets used to fit the conflict-based models. The results show the predictions generated by a conflict-based model were comparable for intersections, but poor for arterials.

Traffic safety is one of the most essential aspects of transportation engineering. However, most crash prediction models are statistically-based prediction methods, which require significant efforts in crash data collection and may not be applied in particular traffic environments due to the limitation of data sources. Traditional traffic conflict studies are mostly field-based studies depending on manual counting, which is also labor-intensive and oftentimes inaccurate. Nowadays, simulation tools are widely utilized in traffic conflict studies. However, there is not a surrogate indicator that is widely accepted in conflict studies. The primary objective of this research is to develop such a reliable surrogate measure for simulation-based conflict studies. An indicator named Aggregated Crash Propensity Index (ACPI) is proposed to address this void. A Probabilistic model named Crash Propensity Model (CPM) is developed to determine the crash probability of simulated conflicts by introducing probability density functions of reaction time and maximum braking rates. The CPM is able to generate the ACPI for three different conflict types: crossing, rear-end and lane change. A series of comparative and field-based analysis efforts are undertaken to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed metric. Intersections are simulated with the VISSIM micro simulation and the output is processed through SSAM to extract useful conflict data to be used as the entry into CPM model. In the comparative analysis, three studies are conducted to evaluate the safety effect of specific changes in intersection geometry and operations. The comparisons utilize the existing Highway Safety Manual (HSM) processes to determine whether ACPI can identify the same trends as those observed in the HSM. The ACPI outperforms time-to-collision-based indicators and tracks the values suggested by the HSM in terms of identifying the relative safety among various scenarios. In field-based analysis, the Spearman’s rank tests indicate that ACPI is able to identify the relative safety among traffic facilities/treatments. Moreover, ACPI-based prediction models are well fitted, suggesting its potential to be directly link to real crash. All efforts indicate that ACPI is a promising surrogate measure of safety for simulation-based studies.

In a traditional safety impact analysis, it is necessary to have crash data on existing roadway conditions in the field and a few years must pass before accumulating reliable crash data. This is a time-consuming approach and there remains uncertainty in the crash data due to the random nature of crash occurrences. The Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) was developed for resolving these issues. With SSAM, a conflict analysis is performed in a simulated environment. A planned improvement alternative under study is modeled and no physical installation of the alternative is needed. Hence, the method using a simulation software along with SSAM consumes less time compared to other traditional safety analysis methods that may require a physical installation of the new alternative and a long wait time for data collection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if SSAM can be used to assess the safety of a highway segment or an intersection in term of the number and type of conflicts and to compare the safety effects of multiple access management alternatives with less time, less cost and less uncertainty than the traditional safety analysis methods. To meet the purpose of the study, two study sections, one on University Parkway in Orem and Provo and the other on Main Street in American Fork were selected and analyzed in this research. Based on the findings from the calibration of SSAM on the University Parkway study section, an evaluation of the effect of converting a TWLTL median into a raised median on a section of Main Street (US-89) from 300 West to 500 East in American Fork was performed using SSAM working on VISSIM simulation's trajectory files of the study section. This evaluation study was conducted to show how SSAM could be used to evaluate the effect of access management alternatives using surrogate safety measures. The analysis showed that a raised median would be much safer than a TWLTL median for the same level of traffic volume. Approximately a 32 to 50 percent reduction in the number of crossing conflicts was achieved when a raised median was used in lieu of a TWLTL median at the Main Street study section.

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The weather condition is a crucial influence factor on road safety issues. Fog is one of the most noticeable weather conditions, which has a significant impact on traffic safety. Such condition reduces the road's visibility and consequently can affect drivers' vision, perception, and judgments. The statistical data shows that many crashes are directly or indirectly caused by the low-visibility weather condition. Hence, it is necessary for road traffic engineers to study the relationship of road traffic accidents and their influence factors. Among these factors, the traffic volume and the speed limits in poor visibility areas are the primary reasons that can affect the types and occurring locations of road accidents. In this thesis, microscopic traffic simulation, through the use of VISSIM software, was used to study the road safety issue and its influencing factors due to limited visibility. A basic simulation model was built based on previously collected field data to simulate Interstate 4 (I-4)'s environment, geometry characteristics, and the basic traffic volume composition conditions. On the foundation of the basic simulation model, an experimental model was built to study the conflicts' types and distribution places under several different scenarios. Taking into consideration the entire 4-mile study area on I-4, this area was divided into 3 segments: section 1 with clear visibility, fog area of low visibility, and section 2 with clear visibility. Lower speed limits in the fog area, which were less than the limits in no-fog areas, were set to investigate the different speed limits' influence on the two main types of traffic conflicts: lane-change conflicts and rear-end conflicts. The experimental model generated several groups of traffic trajectory data files. The vehicle conflicts data were stored in these trajectory data files which, contains the conflict locations' coordinates, conflict time, time-to-conflict, and post-encroachment-time among other measures. The Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM), developed by the Federal Highway Administration, was applied to analyze these conflict data. From the analysis results, it is found that the traffic volume is an important factor, which has a large effect on the number of conflicts. The number of lane-change and rear-end conflicts increases along with the traffic volume growth. Another finding is that the difference between the speed limits in the fog area and in the no-fog areas is another significant factor that impacts the conflicts' frequency. Larger difference between the speed limits in two nearing road sections always leads to more accidents due to the inadequate reaction time for vehicle drivers to brake in time. And comparing to the scenarios that with the reduced speed limits in the low visibility zone, the condition that without the reduced speed limit has higher conflict number, which indicates that the it is necessary to put a lower speed limit in the fog zone which has a lower visibility. The results of this research have a certain reference value for studying the relationship between the road traffic conflicts and the impacts of different speed limits under fog condition. Overall, the findings of this research suggest follow up studies to further investigate possible relationships between conflicts as observed by simulation models and reported crashes in fog areas.

A transportation system designed to prioritize the mobility of automobiles cannot accommodate the growing number of road users. The Complete Streets policy plays a crucial part in transforming streets to accommodate multiple modes of transportation, especially active modes like biking and walking. Complete streets are referred to as streets designed for everyone and enable safety and mobility to all users. A strategy of complete streets transformation is to connect isolated complete street segments to form a complete network that improves active mobility and public transit ridership. This research assessed the impact of efficiently and equitably connecting and expanding the biking network using dedicated lanes on the safety and operation of the network in Atlanta, Georgia. These connections are aimed at increasing the multimodal use of the streets in midtown and downtown Atlanta and achieving the mobility and public health goals through the integration of various modes of travel. The evaluation was done by modeling a well-calibrated and validated network of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta in VISSIM using existing travel demand and traffic design conditions (i.e., the baseline or Scenario 0). A total of three different conditions: existing, proposed, and alternative conditions, were modeled to see the effectiveness of bike infrastructure design improvement and expansion. Three scenarios were then modeled as variations of modal demand of the different condition models. Scenarios modeled are based on input from the City and Community stakeholders. Using the trajectory data from microsimulation, the surrogate safety assessment model (SSAM) from FHWA was used to analyze the safety effect on the bike infrastructure improvement and expansion. Results of this study showed a positive impact of complete streets transformation on the streets of Midtown and Downtown Atlanta. These impacts are quantified in this thesis.

Ce travail de thèse porte sur l’étude de l’accélération de particules fluides et inertielles en déplacement dans une turbulence soumise à un gradient de vitesse moyen. L’objectif est de récupérer des données de référence afin de développer des modèles LES stochastiques pour la prédiction de l’accélération de sous-maille et l’accélération de particules inertielles dans des conditions inhomogènes. La modélisation de l’accélération de sous-maille est effectuée à l’aide de l’approche LES-SSAM introduite par Sabel’nikov, Chtab et Gorokhovski[EPJB 80:177]. L’accélération est modélisée à l’aide de deux modèles stochastiques indépendants : un processus log-normal d’Ornstein-Uhlenbeck pour la norme d’accélération et un processus stochastique Ornstein-Uhlenbeck basé sur le calcul de Stratonovich pour les composantes du vecteur d’orientation de l’accélération. L’approche est utilisée pour la simulation de particules fluides et inertielles dans le cas d’une turbulence homogène isotrope et dans un cisaillement homogène. Les résultats montrent une amélioration des statistiques à petites échelles par rapport aux LES classiques. La modélisation de l’accélération des particules inertielles dans le cisaillement homogène est effectuée avec l’approche LES-STRIP introduite par Gorokhovski et Zamansky[PRF 3:034602] et est modélisée avec deux modèles stochastiques indépendants de manière similaire à l’accélération de sous-maille. Nos calculs montrent une amélioration de l’accélération et de la vitesse des particules lorsque le modèle STRIP est utilisé. Enfin dans une dernière partie, nous présentons une équation pour décrire la dynamique de particules ponctuelles de taille supérieure à l’échelle de Kolmogorov dans une turbulence homogène isotrope calculée par DNS. Les résultats sont comparés avec l’expérience et montrent que cette description reproduit bien les propriétés dynamiques des particules. / The main objective of this thesis is to study the acceleration of fluid and inertial particles moving in a turbulent flow under the influence of a homogeneous shear in order to develop LES stochastic models that predict subgrid acceleration of the flow and acceleration of inertial particles. Subgrid acceleration modelisation is done in the framework of the LES-SSAM approach which was introduced by Sabel’nikov, Chtab and Gorokhovski[EPJB 80:177]. Acceleration is predicted with two independant stochastic models : a log-normal Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process for the norm of acceleration and an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process expressed in the sense of Stratonovich calculus for the components of the acceleration orientation vector. The approach is used to simulate fluid and inertial particles moving in a homogeneous isotropic turbulence and in a homogeneous sheared turbulence. Our results show that small scales statistics of particles are better predicted in comparison with classical LES approach. Modelling of inertial particles acceleration is done in the framework of the LES-STRIP which was introduced by Gorokhovski and Zamansky[PRF 3:034602] with two independant stochastic models in a similar way to the subgrid fluid acceleration. Computations of inertial particles in the homogeneous shear flow present good predicitons of the particles acceleration and velocity when STRIP model is used. In the last chapter, we present an equation to describe the dynamic of point-like particles which size is larger than the Kolmogorov scale moving in a homogeneous isotropic turbulence computed by direct numerical simulation. Results are compared with experiments and indicate that this description reproduces well the properties of the particles dynamic.

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the safety and operational differences between three left-turn treatments: permitted, protected, and protected-permitted left-turn phasing. Permitted phasing allows vehicles to turn left after yielding to any opposing vehicles; protected phasing provides an exclusive phase for vehicles to turn left that does not allow opposing vehicles; and protected-permitted phasing combines the previous phasing alternatives, allowing vehicles to turn after yielding while also providing some green time for protected left-turns.As part of evaluating the differences between these left-turn treatments, crashes before and after the change at intersections that had experienced a permanent change from one phase alternative to another were compared. The crashes that took place at these intersections were compared with the number of crashes experienced at a baseline set of intersections. A general increase in total crashes was observed for most intersections, and an increase in left-turn crashes per million entering vehicles was also observed in intersections that had experienced a change from protected to protected-permitted phasing; no other clear trends were observed.The research team also gathered simulated data using VISSIM traffic modeling software and safety data were extracted from these simulations using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) created by the Federal Highway Administration to identify decision boundaries between each left-turn treatment. The simulations modeled intersections with 1-, 2-, and 3-opposing-lane configurations with permitted and protected-permitted models (split into green times of 10-, 15-, and 20-seconds) for a total of 12 different simulation models. Each model was divided into 100-225 different volume scenarios, with incremental increases in left-turn vs. opposing volumes. By exporting trajectory files from VISSIM and importing these files into SSAM, crossing conflicts for each volume combination in each model were identified and extracted. These were then entered into MATLAB to create contour maps; the contours of these maps represent the number of crossing conflicts per hour associated with different combinations of left-turn and opposing volume. Basic decision boundaries were observed in the contour maps for each model. To extract an equation to estimate each boundary, JMP Pro statistical analysis software was used to perform a linear regression analysis and develop natural log-based equations estimating the decision boundaries for each configuration and phase alternative. These equations were then charted using Excel and final decision boundaries were developed for the 1-, 2-, and 3-lane configurations between permitted and protected-permitted phasing as well as between protected-permitted and protected phasing.